Fable III

Game review by Marc Saltzman, Common Sense Media
Fable III Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 18+

Thought-provoking role-playing game with mature themes.

Xbox 360 2010
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Parents say

age 12+

Based on 18 reviews

Kids say

age 12+

Based on 38 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this game.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Fable III is rated "Mature" because of its violence, sex, language, and use of alcohol. Also keep in mind gamers must make decisions in this story that can prove morally or ethically challenging. For example, as the ruler, players will be presented with the option of turning a factory that exploits poor children into a school that will educate them. This decision comes at a huge cost: losing a productive factory impacts the overall prosperity of the kingdom. Players have remarkable control over the morality of their actions, but the moral choice is not always clear.

Community Reviews

michelhays
michelhays Adult
January 8, 2015
age 16+

Different from Fable II and Fable the Journey

In an earlier review of Fable II, I wrote that I thought it was odd the game was rated not for kids. The "adult" sorts of things in that game were presented in a manner that was thoughtful and a great way to engage teens in all kinds of discussions. This game doesn't really have that value: it is as though a group of drunken frat boys took over Fable II and changed all the choices from two thoughtful ones to sophomoric or more sophomoric. For instance, in Fable II you can have (offscreen) sex with a character, and you face the consequences both physically (pregnancy or STDs) and emotionally (partners can become attached to you and are hurt if you ignore them.) In Fable III, prostitutes encourage you to have a three-way. In Fable II, you amuse crowds with a goofy Cossak-style dance - in Fable III, you grab the person you're interacting with and pull them into a lampoon of Dirty Dancing. In Fable II, while there's fighting, it's fairly asceptic - in Fable III, enemies die in a blood explosion. The changes in the style of the game were unneccessary and diminish its value; instead of it being a journey of self-exploration and discovery, it's just a typical slash-and-bash. I will say, the voice work is absolutely excellent in all the Fable games, which is refreshing.
Only The Truth
Only The Truth Adult
February 19, 2014
age 11+

Nice game

Good game for mature tweens. Some of the cutcenes in this game are inapropriate but they CAN be skipped. This game is a great way to learn to take responsibility by keeping your kingdom in order and keeping criminals in prison, adopting orphans, breaking up fights, saving peoples lives from bandits, etc. But you can be evil and avoid good decisions.

This title has:

Easy to play/use
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 18 parent reviews

What’s It About?

Xbox 360 owners can once again return to the fantasy world of Albion in FABLE III, where your older brother Logan is now king. Problem is, he's quite the tyrant, so our hero leaves the castle to start a rebellion. Gain enough followers and you could overthrow him and become ruler. But would you rule any differently? As with past games in Microsoft Game Studios' popular action role-playing game series, your actions will be tied to consequences. For example, as you're leading your revolution and trying to gain followers, you defeat a renegade leader who will beg for his life; if you kill him, you lose his clan of renegades as allies, but if you spare him, you gain a larger set of supporters (which in turn, open up a new outpost for you to use on your adventures). Decisions like these are peppered throughout the entire tale.

Is It Any Good?

This thoughtfully-designed and competently-crafted action RPG -- penned by legendary game designer Peter Molyneux -- is rich with story, memorable locations, and characters. Its combat – be it through swords, guns, or magic – is simple but gratifying. What's more, every action has a positive or negative reaction, especially once the player becomes ruler of Albion. (And you thought it would be easy being a monarch.) The game's co-op mode wasn't ready at the time of writing this, but two players can band together online to adventure through the campaign as a team.

This Xbox 360 exclusive lets gamers master might and magic, take on dozens of quests for (and with) colorful characters, and explore a huge world that comes alive on your television. Quite simply, if you liked Fable and Fable II, you'll love Fable III.

Online interaction: We were not able to test the online interaction, as co-op play wasn't yet activated at the time of this writing, but two players will be able to log online together and tackle the game side-by-side. They can also talk via a Xbox 360 headset. This will open the door to players playing with strangers and, consequently, possible exposure to offensive language and inappropriate topics of discussion.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about whether games with difficult moral choices can help make players think about the consequences of their actions in the real world. Do you think players can learn anything from making hard decisions in a simulated world? If you made immoral decisions, why did you do it?

  • Families can also talk about the game's depiction of sexuality. Players see no nudity, but sex -- with multiple partners -- is implied based on decisions the player makes as well as audio effects. Is this significantly different from actually displaying the act on screen?

Game Details

  • Platform: Xbox 360
  • Available online?: Available online
  • Publisher: Microsoft Studios
  • Release date: October 26, 2010
  • Genre: Role-Playing
  • ESRB rating: M for Blood, Language, Sexual Content, Use of Alcohol, Violence
  • Last updated: February 4, 2020

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